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Tal-Mixta cave in gozo

One Of The Islands Hidden Gems

Date Uploaded: 12th July 2020

Tal-Mixta cave is one of the hidden spots you find on the outskirts of the village of Nadur with sweeping views over Ramla Bay.

Many visitors come here for this splendid picturesque view high up in the hills on the north side of this tiny village with a population of 4,500 people.

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It provides a perfect panoramic view of the sandy beach called Ramla Bay, the fertile terraced fields all through the valley. They are best seen in winter since they are in full greenery. The surrounding sloping rock faces and the deep blue sea extending outward into the Mediterranean Sea.

It is potentially one of the many incredible sights on Gozo. The second largest island in the Maltese archipelago with several locations offering incredible sights to see.

The purpose of this post is to encourage visitors to come visit this cave. You will not hear a lot about this cave as it is not well known. In fact we found out about it through social media. We typically visit Gozo, but until recently we never heard about it.

Why Go to the cave?

One of Gozo's hidden gems.
A photogenic spot.
A Instagram hot spot.
We went and we highly recommend going there if you want good photos.
A beautiful place where you can sit down and relax.

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Things You Need To Know Before Going

Entrance is free.
The stairs leading to the cave has no handrail.
There is no safety at the edge of the cave. There is an immediate drop so be aware of your movements.
The cave is not wheelchair accessible.
We recommend that you do not take any young children as it can be dangerous. If you do we recommend that they are highly supervised at all times.
No barbeques or camping's can be done in or outside the cave.
The steps are fairly slippery and uneven.

The surrounding area is private property but the cave is open to the general public.
The cave is quite big so there can be a small amount of people at one time in the cave.
There are no amenities nearby as it is situated in a secluded part of Gozo.
There is a small vending machine if you want to buy a drink.
You can get to the Mixta cave by nearly all types of transport.
There is always a draft on entering the cave so hold on to the side rock face in order to keep balance.
If windy we recommend that you either not go, or be very careful when going down the staircase into the cave.

Mixta Cave Directions

You can get to the cave by all types of transport, apart from the Sightseeing tours. If you take a quad bike tour, there is a high possibility that the guide will take you to the cave.

By Public Transport

To 'Qasab' Bus Stop (Direction to Victoria): Direct routes 302, 322.
To 'Qasab' Bus Stop (Direction to Marsalforn): Direct routes 302, 322.
To/From Victoria: Direct Routes 302.

See the map below we created to help you find your way to the cave from the bus stop.

By car

Getting to the cave by car can be a little tricky especially if you are going for the first time. The road leading to the cave is called Triq L-Ghassa tal-Mahrag.
The road is all in good condition except for the last 500 meters. Parts of it are narrow but the majority is wide enough for two cars to pass near each other.
All types of vehicles are able to pass through the road. We recommend using a GPS (link below for the exact GPS coordinates) to get to the location.
Before arriving to the cave you will find a sign saying "Private" "Continue on foot". You will need to park here on the side of the road.
There is a small parking area where you can leave your car. Beyond that sign it is only accessable on foot. From here it is only a 5 minutes walk to the cave.
Use the link below to easily find the location for your GPS.

where is mixta cave?

Back into its history

The Natura 2000 Management Plan report for this area on Gozo has indicated that through remains that have been found the cave was used during the Medieval period or even before. This indicates that the location was a prehistoric cave dwelling location apart from a defensive post.

Back to 7th July 1733 according to heritage expert Edward Said two Muslim vessels entered Ramla l-Hamra bay and dropped anchor. While looking for supplies for their crew across the valley they took a Gozitan family of eight as prisoners.

Due to this the Knights of St. John realised how easy it is to land on this beach undetected decided and build a rough stone wall along the seabed across the bay just below the surface of the sea level undetected to the oncoming boats. It still existing today.

They also excavated a fougasse which is designed to fire a large quantities of stone on the approaching enemy ships and an entrenchment wall structure. These defensive structures were common around vulnerable areas around the coastline of these islands.

Tal-Mixta cave also played its role in the defence of this bay during the time of the knights. The advantage of this cave is that its mouth is facing the bay and so attackers cannot see the defenders waiting for them apart from being at a high level.

This was a positive attribute to use as part of the defensive system. Two small openings were dug in the rock face towards the open sea to enable cannons to fire onto approaching enemy vessels.

is the cave open to the public?

Yes, the cave is open to the public. The surrounding area is all private property and hence why you cannot keep going near the cave with your vehicle.

In 2019, the Ministry of Gozo said that the cave is not closed to the public as there were signs stating that people must 'Keep Out' and that the land is 'Private'.

The cave is indeed free to visit and can be visited at anytime of the year.

Other Things To Do In Gozo

Visit the fishing village of Xlendi and the old city of Victoria/Rabat.
Take a tour round the citadel in Rabat Gozo.
Also in Gozo you can take the sightseeing tour that takes you round the beautiful island.
The village of Dwejra boats some spectacular views of the sea. Dwejra is home to the former Azure window that collapsed on 8th March 2017. After its collapse, the location still remained very recognised. Apart from the window, there are other things to see such as the Dwejra Tower, Fungus Rock and the Blue Hole that is very popular to divers.